Transposing device



Jan. 21, 1964 c. ROSENVOLD 7 TRANSPOSING DEVICE Filed Feb. 19, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet l 270 y 1 30a /l I a I90 I, 22a INVENTOR.

BY CARI- ROSENVOLD c l2 qW ATTORNEYS Jan. 21, 1964 c. ROSENVOLD TRANSPOSING DEVICE INVENTOR. CARL ROSENVOLD 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 19, 1962 AT TOR NEYS United States Patent Ofiice fhlllififil Patented .lan. 21, 1964 3,118,967 TRANPO1NG DEVICE Carl Rosenvold, Minneapolis, Minn, assignor to Trans Technion, Inc, Minneapolis, Minn., a corporation of Minnesota Filed Feb. 19, 1962, Ser. No. 173,875 '7 Claims. (Cl. 174-147) This invention relates to telephone line transposing device, and more particularly relates to a transposing device which is well adapted for use in long span transmission lines which employ bare conductors.

Transposing devices which have been known in the past have had distinct disadvantages, particularly when used with bare conductor transmission lines. One of the primary disadvantages of most transposing devices is their inability to prevent leakage currents between the conductors under wet weather conditions. Another distinct disadvantage of some transposing devices is that they are rather difficult to apply to the lines and further, many of the known transposing devices actually kink or sharply bend the lines. Another distinct disadvantage of certain transposing devices is that they rely upon the tension in the transmission lines for maintaining the devices in attached relation to the line.

It is to the elimination of these and other disadvantages to which the present invention is directed.

An object of my invention is to provide a new and improved transmission line transposing device of simple and inexpensive construction and operation.

Another object of my invention is the provision of a novel transposing device which is well adapted for use with bare conductors for maintaining the conductors in well insulated relation with each other during all types of weather conditions.

Still another object of my invention is to provide an improved transposing device which is readily and easily applicable to a transmission line to selectively transpose the conductors in either left over right or right over left relation.

A further object of my invention is the provision of a new and novel transposing device which is readily and easily securely clamped to a transmission line without kinking or otherwise sharply bending the conductors and which will prevent such kinking or sharp bending of the conductors even if one of the conductors should break.

These and other objects and advantages of my invention will more fully appear from the following description made in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein like reference characters refer to the same or similar parts throughout the several views and in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged side elevation view;

FIG. 3 is a detail bottom plan view of the upper part of the device;

FIG. 4 is a detail top plan view of the lower part of the device;

FIG. 5 is a section view taken substantially at 5-5 in FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged detail section taken substantially at 6-6 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged detail section taken substantially at 77 of FIG. 5; and

FIG. 8 is an enlarged detail section taken substantially at 8--8 of FIG. 5.

One form of the invention is shown in the drawings and is described herein. The transmission line transposing device is well adapted for use with telephone signal transmission lines of the long span type wherein the poles or towers supporting the line are spaced at a very substantial distance and wherein the lines carry either low voltage voice frequency signals or high frequency carrier signals modulated by voice frequencies.

The transposing device is indicated in general by numeral 16 and comprises a pair of rigid and insulating superposed upper and lower plates Ill and 12 respectively Which in a preferred embodiment are constructed of a rigid insulating molded synthetic material. The upper and lower plates are normally secured together by means of a pair of bolts 13 which are embedded in and thereby alfixedly secured to the upper plate 11, and extend through holes 13a on the lower plate, and are provided with nuts 1315 which clamp the plates Ill and 12 together. The transposing device Ill? may be mounted on the transmission line at mid-span if desired, or may be mounted on a pole cross arm by supporting the lower plate 12 on a pin 14 which is secured to the pole cross arm and in serted into the interior chamber 15 of an open bottom socket 16 which is formed integrally of the lower plate 12.

The plates Jill and 12 will normally be assembled with the lower and upper surfaces 17 and 18 of the upper and lower plates respectively in confronting relation with each other and in predetermined orientation with each other. Although the plates llll and 12 are circular in configuration it can be said, when these plates are viewed with their functional characteristics in mind, that the confronting faces 17 and 18 have opposite ends 17a, 17b, 18a and 1821 respectively, and opposite sides 17c, 17c], 13c and 13:! respectively. v

Each of the plates ll and 12 has a plurality of ribs which extend substantially diametrically across the faces 17 and 18 of the plates, and which are discontinuous adjacent the recessed central portions and as of the plates. For ease of understanding, the individual segments of each discontinuous rib are denoted by similar prefix numbers and are distinguished from each other by the suflix letters. As will be seen in FIGS. 3 and 4, the rib segments on the plate 12 are denoted by the numerals rib segments are denoted by the numerals 27a, 27b, 19a, 1%, Ztla, Ztlb, 26b, and on the plate 11 the 28a 3%, 3f, 32, 33 and 34. it will be seen that the rib segments on each of the plates are arranged in pairs, in juxtaposed and spaced relation with each other so as to define a groove between each of the pairs of rib segments. The rib segments 1% and 11% cooperate with the rib segments Zita and Zilb in defining a substantially linear conductor-receiving groove 37 on the face 18 of plate 12. The rib segments define the sides of the grooves and the face 18 defines the bottom of the grooves. In a similar manner, the other pairs of ribs on the faces of the plates ill and 12 define other grooves 3f lll and il4 l on the faces of the plates ll and 12 respectively. It will be noted that each of the grooves 37 l-4l extends substantially diametrically and obliquely between opposite sides and ends of'the plates. For example, the groove 37 on plate 12 extends obliquely between the end 1815 and side 18:] to the end 18a and side 18c of the face. It will further be'noted that the rib and groove arrangement on each of the plates 12 is symmetrical on opposite sides of any diametrically extending line. Thus each of the plates is provided with a groove extending generally transversely of every other groove. As an example, the grooves 39 and 49 on plate lll extend substantially transversely of each other; similarly the grooves 431 and 4-2 of plate 12 extend transversely of each other.

When the plates are assembled as seen in FlGS. 2 or 5, each of the grooves in each plate lies in juxtaposed relation and closely adjacent a groove of the other plate. Thus, for example, when the plates are assembled grooves 37 and 39 of plates 12 and 11 respectively lie in juxtaposed and closely spaced ararngement. When the plates are assembled each of the juxtaposed and closely spaced grooves receives groove-defining rib segments of the other plate which are related to the other juxtaposed and closely spaced groove, thus rib segments 27a and 28!), which define sides of groove rd, are received in the groove 37; and rib segments a and 1%, which define portions of groove 37, are received in groove 4%. It will therefore be seen that all of the rib segments of one plate which lie in the grooves of the other plate in conductor-clamping relation, are also employed in a groove-defining function. Thus ribs 27a and 25512 which clamp a conductor in groove 3'7 also cooperate with ribs 28a and 27b in defining groove 44'}.

Whereas the grooves 37, 38, 39 and 49 are interchangeably employed in left over right or right over left transpositions of a transmission line with eight inch spacings, the grooves 41, 42, 4-3 and 44 are primarily adapted for similarly transposing transmission lines with a four inch conductor spacing. it will be noted that grooves 43 and 44 employ the multi-functional inner ends of rib segments 27a and 28b, and 2% and 3th: in defining the sides of these grooves together with the other segments 31-34.

As seen in FlGS. 2 and 5, the conductors C and C respectively lie on the faces 13 and 17 of the plates 12 and 11 respectively, which faces define the bottoms of the several grooves. At the recessed central portions and 3 6 of the plates, the conductors cross each other in spaced relation with each other as particularly seen in FIGS. 5 and 7. When the transposing device is assembled, a circular disc or wafer of rigid insulating material (identical to the material of the plates) is positioned in the upper central area between the conductors C and C to make sure that the conductors are continuously maintained in the spaced relation so that there is virtually no possibility of shorting or leakage between the conductors. The disc is of such thickness that when the disc lies on the lower conductor C the upper conductor C will be in spaced relation with the disc 45. The disc or wafer 45 is generally pillow-shaped and has a peripheral edge which is substantially thinner than the central portion thereof. In order that a disc or wafer is always available with a transposing device 14 the disc is molded integrally of the lower plate 12 by forming score lines 46 in the upper and lower surfaces of the plate 12 so as to adapt a portion 45 of the plate to be readily and easily knocked out and then be used as disc 45.

It will be noted that the outer end of one of the ribs defining each of the grooves is smoothly rounded and curved toward the end of the transposing plate so as to guide and support the conductors in a smooth and rounded bend as distinguished from a sharp bend or kink. The ribs are curved to the point of tangency with the endwise extending conductors and are curved beyond the point of tangency to provide against kinking or sharply bending one of the conductors in the event that the other of the conductors is broken, whereupon orientation of the transposing device with respect to the endwise direction of the conductors is changed.

It will be noted that the upper plate =11 has an essentially dome-shaped upper surface 47 to assure continuous shedding of water in wet weather conditions. It will further be noted that the upper plate 11 is larger in diameter than the lower plate 12 to thus provide an overhang at the entire periphery of the upper plate 11, thereby assuring that water dripping from the edge of plate 11 will bypass the lower plate 12.

The upper plate 11 also has a drip ring or bead 18 extending around the entire periphery thereof on the face 17 and depending slightly from the plane of the face '17 for preventing migration of water across the face 17.

Operation When the transposing device is to be applied to a telephone signal transmission line, the conductors must be provided with slack in order to facilitate assembly. In assembling the conductors with the transposing device, the upper and lower plates 11 and 12 are separated, and

ordinarily each will be oriented in a face-up position during the initial stages of assembly. Assuming that the transmission line has an eight inch conductor spacing and assuming that a left over right transposition is desired, as seen in FIGS. 2 and 5, the right hand conductor C will be laid in the groove 37 of plate 12; and the left hand conductor C is laid in the groove 39 of the upper plate 11. The disc 45 is then laid over the right hand conductor C at the central portion of plate 12. With the left hand conductor C remaining in the groove 39, the plate 11 is then turned over and laid in face-to-face confronting relation with the plate 12, whereupon the grooves of each of the plates receive the interfitting or nesting rib segments of the other plate therein. The rib segments 27a and 28b of plate 11 lie in the groove 37 of plate 12 and engage and clamp the conductor therein. In a similar manner the rib segments 22b and 21a of the plate 12 lie in the groove 39 of plate 11 and engage and clamp the left hand conductor therein.

As the plates 11 and 12 are assembled with each other, the bolts 13 on the upper plate are inserted through the openings 13a of the lower plate, and when the ribs and grooves have been nested together, the nuts 13!) are applied to the bolts for holding the plates 11 and 12 in assembled relation. Assuming that the transmission lines have been properly slacked, the nuts 13b will be tightened so that the ribs clamp down on the conductors in a tightly gripping relation.

In the event that a right over left transposition is desired in a transmission line having an eight inch spacing, the lower left hand conductor will be laid on the lower plate 12 in the groove 38, and then the right hand conductor is laid in the groove 44 of upper plate 11 while the upper plate is in a face-up position. The disc 45 is then laid over the left hand conductor lying in groove 38, and the plate 11 is then inverted and laid in face-toface confronting relation with plate 12 so that the ribs and grooves nest in relation to each other.

In this right over left transposition, the left hand conductor lies on the face 13 of plate 12 and in the groove 38 and is retained and clamped therein by rib segments 2% and 39a; and the right hand conductor lies against the drip ring 4-8 and against the face 17 in groove to of plate 11 and is clamped therein by ribs Zita and 1% of plate 12.

If it is assumed that transmission line conductors are spaced at four inches and a right over left transposition is desired, the conductors will be laid on the plates 11 and .12 in the manner indicated in dotted lines in FIGS. 3 and 4. Because the left hand conductor must pass beneath the right hand conductor, the left hand conductor is laid on the lower plate 12 in the groove 41. The right hand conductor is laid on the upper plate :11 in the groove 43. When the disc 45 has been laid on the left hand conductor at the center portion of plate 12, the upper plate 11 is inverted and nested with the lower plate with the conductors remaining in the stated grooves, whereupon when the ribs and grooves are nested together, the left hand conductor is clamped in the groove 41 by rib segments 34 and 31; and the right hand conductor is clamped in the groove 43 by rib segments Zea and 25b.

If it be assumed that a transmission line with conductors at four inch spacing is to be transposed left over right, the right hand conductor is laid in the groove 42 of plate 12 and the left hand conductor is laid in groove 44 of the upper plate 11. The plates will then be assembled as previously described to effect clamping of the conductors in the grooves.

It will be noted in FIG. 7 that the disc 45 is supported upon the lower conductor C and that its thickness normally precludes engagement by the disc with the upper conductor C. The disc d5 minimizes cross talk or leakage current between the conductors because the material thereof has a higher dielectric value than moisture laden air. The disc 4-5 also prevents buildup of ice crystals between the conductors at the cross over point and thereby further minimizes cross talk or leakage currents.

It will be understood that signal attenuation due to leakage currents and the like is at a maximum in all types of transposing devices under wet weather conditions. It has been found that in the use of the present transposing device, signal attenuation over wide frequency ranges due to leakage currents and the like during wet weather conditions is decreased materially. It will be understood that the overhang of the upper plate, the drip ring 48, and the intermeshed ribs and grooves contribute to the maximizing of insulation between the conductors under wet weather conditions.

It should be noted that the transposing device will accommodate a wide variety of wire sizes. The conductors may vary in size downwardly to the smallest diameter of conductors normally used in telephone transmission lines. The conductors may be as large in diameter as the width of the grooves adjacent the faces 17 and 18 and in the present embodiment, conductors of up to 0.250 inch diameter may be accommodated. It will be understood that regardless of whether large or small wire sizes are being used, the upper and lower plates 11 and 12 are pulled together by nuts 13:; until the ribs engage and clamp the conductors and grooves.

It will be noted that certain of the ribs such as rib segments 21b and 23a are joined together at their outer ends and certain of the ribs such as 211) and 23a are joined together and formed integrally at their inner ends. This construction contributes substantially to the physical strength of the individual rib segments to minimize the possibility of breakage. Other of the rib segments such as 24a and 25a and such as 33 and 34 are formed integrally of each other in a smoothly rounded and substantially continuous configuration adjacent the plate peripheries. The smoothly rounded configuration contributes functionally as well as contributing to the strength of the ribs.

It will be understood that in the event one of the conductors breaks, such as along the span P, as seen in FIG. 5, the orientation of the transposing device will change with respect to the remaining unbroken conductors. Because the span S of conductor C will then have to support, without the span P, the weight of the conductors and transposing device (presuming the device to be in midspan), the transposing device will turn somewhat about an axis parallel to the conductors and will roll slightly so as to at least slightly unwrap the conductor C off the ribs 1% and b and to at least slightly wrap the conductor C further around the end portion of rib 2%. Because of the rounded end portions of the several ribs no excessive bending or kinking of the conductors will occur. This situation is substantially the same in relation to the conductor guiding ribs such as rib segments a and 24a, 33 and 34, used in connection with the four inch spacing.

It will, of course, be understood that various changes may be made in the form, details, arrangement and proportions of the parts without departing from the scope of my invention which consists of the matter shown and described herein and set forth in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A device for transposing a pair of transmission line conductors and comprising a pair of rigid and insulating superposed plates having confronting faces with opposite ends and opposite sides, said plates having a plurality of spaced ribs on the faces thereof and defining conductorreceiving grooves extending transversely across each other and obliquely between said ends and sides, each of said grooves having opposite ends, each end of each groove being disposed adjacent a respective end of the plate and also being widely spaced transversely of the plate from the corresponding end of a groove extending transversely thereof each of the grooves receiving a rib of the other plate in conductor-clamping relation, and means securing said plates together.

2. A device for transposing a pair of transmission line conductors, said device comprising a pair of rigid and insulating superposed upper and lower plates having confronting faces with opposite ends and opposite sides and a central portion, said plates each having a pair of spaced, discontinuous and juxtaposed conductor-guiding ribs on the face thereof defining a conductor-receiving groove extending obliquely between said ends and sides, the guiding ribs and groove of the upper plate extending transversely across the ribs and groove of the lower plate, the groove in each plate having a bottom lying in a plane spaced by a distance equalling several times the thickness of a conductor, from the plane in which the bottom of the groove of the other plate lies, each of the ribs being discontinuous at said central portion and each of the ribs having one side facing inwardly of the corresponding groove, one end of each of said ribs being smoothly curved in an endwise direction with said side face facing transversely outwardly toward the side of the plate, said plates also having additional clamping ribs each lying in the groove of the opposite other plate in conductor-clamping relation, and means securing said plates together.

3. A device for transposing a pair of transmission line conductors and comprising a pair of rigid and insulating superposed plates having confronting faces with opposite side and opposite ends and central portions, said plates each having first and second pairs of spaced and juxtaposed discontinuous ribs on the face thereof and respectively defining first and second conductor-receiving grooves extending obliquely between said ends and sides, said first and second grooves extending transversely across each other, said ribs being discontinuous at said central portion of the faces, one rib of each said pairs confronting and lying in a groove of the other plate in conductorclarnping relation, the ribs of each plate being spaced from the face of the other plate, and means securing said plates together.

4. A device for transposing a pair of transmission line conductors and comprising a pair of rigid and insulating and superposed plates having confronting faces with opposite sides and opposite ends and central portions, said plates each having first and second pairs of spaced and juxtaposed discontinuous ribs on the face thereof and respectively defining first and second conductor-receiving grooves extending obliquely between said ends and sides, said first and second grooves extending transversely of each other, said ribs being discontinuous at said central portion of the faces, one rib of each of said pairs confronting and lying in a groove of the other plate in conductor-clamping relation, each of said ribs having one side facing inwardly of the corresponding groove, one end of each of said ribs being smoothly curved in an endwise direction with said side facing transversely outwardly toward the side of the face, whereby to prevent kinking of the conductor, and means securing said plates together.

5. A device for transposing a pair of transmission line conductors and comprising a pair of rigid and insulating superposed plates having confronting faces with opposite sides and opposite ends and central portions, said plates each having first and second pairs of spaced and juxtaposed discontinuous ribs on the face thereof and respectively defining first and second conductor-receiving grooves extending obliquely between said ends and sides, said first and second grooves extending transversely of each other, said ribs being discontinuous at said central portion of the faces, one rib of each of said pairs confronting and lying in a groove of the other plate in conductor-clamping relation, said discontinuous ribs defining an open space between the central portions of the faces, and a conductorseparating and insulating disc in said open space to lie above and below the transmission line conductors, and means securing said plates together.

6. A device for transposing a pair of transmission line conductors and comprising, a pair of rigid and insulating superposed plates having confronting faces with opposite ends and opposite sides and a central portion, said plates having a plurality of spaced ribs on the faces thereof and defining conductor-receiving grooves extending obliquely between the ends and sides, said ribs being discontinuous at said central portion, each of the plates having a pair of said grooves extending transversely across each other and in juxtaposition with corresponding grooves of the other plate, each of said ribs having one side facing inwardly of the corresponding groove, one end of each of said ribs being smoothly curved in an endwise direction with said side facing transversely outwardly toward the side of the plate, each of the grooves of each plate receiving one of said ribs of the other plate in conductorclamping relation and means securing said plates together 7. A device for transposing a pair of transmission line conductors and comprising a pair of rigid and insulating superposed plates having upper and lower opposite ends and opposite sides, said plates each having means defining a conductor-receiving groove therein and confronting the other plate and extending obliquely between opposite ends and sides, the grooves of the upper and lower plates extending transversely across each other, the groove in each plate having a bottom and an open top and inwardly facing opposite sidewalls, the bottom of each groove lying in a plane spaced by a distance, equalling several times the thickness of a conductor, from the plane in which the bottom of the groove of the other plate lies, each groove sidewall having one end being smoothly curved in an endwise direction with said sidewall facing transversely outwardly toward the side of the plate and each of said plates having conductor-clamping means projecting from the face thereof and into the groove of the other plate for engaging and clamping the conductor therein, and means securing said plates together.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,048,850 Moore Dec. 31, 1912 1,811,530 Baum June 23, 1931 2,135,344 lohnston Nov. 1, 1938 2,936,330 Rosenvold May 10, 1960 

1. A DEVICE FOR TRANSPOSING A PAIR OF TRANSMISSION LINE CONDUCTORS AND COMPRISING A PAIR OF RIGID AND INSULATING SUPERPOSED PLATES HAVING CONFRONTING FACES WITH OPPOSITE ENDS AND OPPOSITE SIDES, SAID PLATES HAVING A PLURALITY OF SPACED RIBS ON THE FACES THEREOF AND DEFINING CONDUCTORRECEIVING GROOVES EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY ACROSS EACH OTHER AND OBLIQUELY BETWEEN SAID ENDS AND SIDES, EACH OF SAID GROOVES HAVING OPPOSITE ENDS, EACH END OF EACH GROOVE BEING DISPOSED ADJACENT A RESPECTIVE END OF THE PLATE AND ALSO BEING WIDELY SPACED TRANSVERSELY OF THE PLATE FROM THE CORRESPONDING END OF A GROOVE EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY THEREOF EACH OF THE GROOVES RECEIVING A RIB OF THE OTHER PLATE IN CONDUCTOR-CLAMPING RELATION, AND MEANS SECURING SAID PLATES TOGETHER. 